Plane Drops South Pole Aid
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A U.S. Air Force cargo plane flying in extreme cold dropped nearly a ton of medical and other supplies at the South Pole on Sunday on a 15-hour, 6,000-mile mercy mission from New Zealand.
The flight was organized to aid a staff member at a U.S. scientific station. The unidentified 47-year-old woman has discovered a lump on her breast but cannot be evacuated until the long winter ends in October.
Six pallets of supplies were dropped by parachute from the plane, a Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, in temperatures of minus 67 degrees.
The packages--marked with lights--were retrieved by the base staff within minutes, said Antarctic support group commander Col. Richard Saburro.
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